Clannad ALTERNATE WORLD
by A5H19
Summary: This story revolves around the final year of Tomoya Okazaki's high school life. From the early days as a delinquent, his encounters and experiences with people brings forth the better in him as well as a relationship with a girl named, Tomoyo Sakagami.
1. 00 Prologue

**00 - Prologue**

The world is changing around us. Even when there are those of us who wish for it remain a certain way, it shifts and mutates to the point where everything eventually becomes unrecognizable. That's how things were in this town; the school, the woods, the hills, the streets, the environment, the people, even myself. I often wished there were moments when I could stop time and freeze it for my own satisfaction. Yet, no matter how hard I prayed for things to slow down, I knew that it was just selfish to try to stop the movement of progress. Despite this, I still had a mild hate for the drastic change my eyes witnessed over such a short period of time.

It had taken me almost eighteen years since birth to realize this tragedy and when my mind finally comprehended, I regretted my own inability of being unable to both cherish and savor the moment. Only a fragment of those days was able to remain with me as a memory. But even those recollections would be buried and suffocated by new ones and eventually decay out of existence.

Thinking about a lot of things, I passed the school gates and descended down the hill, towards home. It was eerily quiet that afternoon, with no one around apart from my own shadow. I stopped for a moment and breathed out a heavy sigh to see the white puff of my breath condense in the cold air. My eyes then looked up at the white sky to watch the falling snow as I wondered whether or not it'd turn into rainfall or pile up on top of each other by tomorrow. Either ways, it didn't matter. I had nothing to look forward to since everyone I knew were moving away for college or jobs while I seemed to be the only one left behind in this town. It made me feel useless, knowing I would be stuck here while everybody would be propelling themselves into a higher world but this is how fate had decided to play on me. Then again, I was mostly to blame for loafing around for so long. It was a part of me I regretted the most, yet I did manage to change my ways towards the end with a lot of help.

I looked back down the hill and noticed someone I recognized standing still; a beautiful girl with long, gray hair, and eyes as blue as the ocean, Tomoyo Sakagami.

The sight of her made my chest tighten as I held my breath. She was staring straight at me with her sapphire eyes that both transfixed me and penetrated the back of my skull. For seconds, maybe minutes, we stood there. Motionlessly waiting for something while snow fell on top of our heads until finally, she opened her mouth.

"How are you… Tomoya?" she called out with a soft voice. A missed voice.


	2. 01 Encounter

**01 - Encounter**

The first time I ever encountered Tomoyo was two years ago during February in a park a couple miles away from my house. It was snowing, cold, very late at night and the streets were devoid of people who sought shelter from the chills of winter. I hated the cold, yet I couldn't stand the thought of staying under the same roof as my pathetic, drunken, old man. My relationship, if there was even a relationship, was to the point where we were strangers living in the same house except I had no desire to rekindle it. Ever since that night where I fought with him and had that accident, he's been treating me like an acquaintance over a son. My insides would just burn with hate whenever I saw him or heard him call my name so for three years, I chose to stay outdoors until my father fell asleep. That night, I had no idea where exactly I was going but it didn't matter at all. To me, being outside that crapshack was simple, complete, freedom.  
After much wandering, I ended up in the riverside park by coincidence. The bank was lined by benches that were spread out by a few dozen meters and a row of dormant trees waiting to awaken from the dead of winter. Feeling a little tired, I stepped towards one of the benches and sat down. For moments, my eyes stared emptily at the little lights and buildings across the stagnant river. Everything was so calm and peaceful.  
And lonely.  
"Just what is for me here…?" I whispered, maybe questioning God. _What can I do in this town that'll make me happy?_ I stared out into the void without even blinking. Despite the uncomforting cold and the flakes of snow that fell on top of my head, the view and the very place where I was sitting was one of the select things I liked about the town. No matter what time of day it was or what weather had enveloped the city, this one spot was a place I enjoyed taking a moment for. But after about 15 minutes and realizing my exposed face and ears were completely numb, I decided it was time to move on before freezing to death.  
Right when I was about to stand up and leave, I heard loud voices coming from my left. At the nearest bench from mine, sat a girl with gray hair bundled up in a black coat and two, tall guys that seemed to be looking for trouble. _Talk about a generic situation_.

"Hey beautiful, what are you doing out late tonight?" the one with a hat inquired.  
"It's not a good idea for girls to be out this late, you know?" the other with a hoodie remarked.  
"Say, Miss. How bout we take you home for the night and try to keep you warm?" the two started laughing while the girl stared blankly at the water, ignoring them.  
I simply looked on. My joints were stiff and unable to move at the trepidation that I could have attracted unwanted attention towards myself. I knew in my mind that I should have done something but I questioned whether my actions could really make a difference.  
"Hey Miss, you hear me?!"  
A bit of my consciousness rushed in. I looked around the area behind me; searching for anyone else who could have noticed or were watching, just in case things escalated. But there was no one. Was I really the only one who could do something?  
Just then, I heard the girl reply in a stern, foreboding tone. "How about you leave before I beat you both down into the ground where you belong?!" It was a good distance from my bench to hers but I could tell here eyes were glaring at the two men. Idiot, was she not even scared? These guys didn't look like the type to screw around.  
"What's she saying?" the guy with a hooddie mockingly asked before breaking out into a laughter. "This is the first time I've heard a bitch talk back like that. Don't you know our manners, miss?"  
"To hell with the god-damned talk, just take her already. I'm itching to get laid tonight and I don't give a shit about the circumstance." the guy in the hat yelled impatiently. This was bad. Something clicked in as I jumped out of my seat and sprinted towards the girl.  
But before I could even get half-way towards her, she had already subdued her assaulters with inhuman speed and a few wide, bone-cracking kicks. In less then a couple seconds, I could see the man in the hat was down for good while his partner started struggling on one knee to get up.  
"You… F-king bitch!" the man pulled out a semi-automatic pistol from his pants.  
No time to think. I charged straight for his back and tacked him from behind. He fell forward and I could tell the gun had fallen far from his hand by the sound of a heavy object crunching in the snow. As I held him down, I could tell this person was much larger and stronger than me. It didn't take him a lot of effort to roll over and push me off before sitting on top and taking a fist to my face. I felt as if I was just hit by a sledgehammer. But before he could land another blow, I saw a blur of color and momentum crashing into his thorax before his body was thrown far back into the river.  
The fight had ended with a splash.

* * *

While I pushed myself off the ground, I could see her moving towards the patch of snow where the gun had fallen. My mind was very surprised to notice she had picked up the pistol and began dismantling it like a professional before throwing the pieces into the river. _What is this girl?_ I wondered looking at the lifeless body of the guy with a hat. She then ran over to me and began pulling my left arm up to help me stand.  
"Are you ok?" she asked. Her voice was soft as the snow that laid around us. "Can you stand on your own?"  
I nodded. The girl then reached in her pocket for a cell phone and began dialing 1-1-9. A moment of silence passed before she spoke into the mouthpiece, "Hello? I need an ambulance at the Riverside Park near Tetsuya Street for three-"  
"I'm fine!" I cried out, startling her a little.  
"-two people… Thank you." She closed the flip phone with a snap and then turned back to me. "Are you sure you're ok?"  
"Don't worry, I'm used to it." I replied, clutching the shoulder that impacted with the thug when I tackled him. I looked around the area and thought what would happen if we stuck around for the emergency vehicles to come. "We better get away." I said as I took her small hand and ran away from the scene.

* * *

We both started running down the street without looking back and without stopping. It was only when our lungs and our stamina gave out did we pause to catch our breath. It wasn't like we were criminals on the move but I didn't want to sit out any longer in the cold, explaining to the police that this was all done in the act of self-defense. Plus, I hated cops.  
Luckily, our tired bodies had stopped in front of a coffee shop that was still lit up and open. Without hesitation, the both of us opened the door and stepped inside to take refuge from the cold air and were greeted by the sight of a small room with a wooden counter and a few tables and chairs. There was one tired worker behind the counter and only three customers in the shop, each sitting at their own table far from each other without looking up. Without a word, the girl took our seats next to one another on the barstools behind the counter. The worker then came up to us and asked for our order before shortly returning with two small cups of brown coffee and sugar.  
For ten minutes, we sat silently sipping our drinks with a few glances towards each other's face. It wasn't until I had a quarter of a cup left that she finally spoke.

"Thank you," the girl said quietly, "for saving me. I'm very grateful you were there to help."  
I stared at what was left of my coffee. "…It was nothing. Besides, you took them down pretty well without my help."  
"Still, you were brave enough to actually come help me." I turned my head towards her to notice she was smiling. The girl was really beautiful, even after getting into a street fight and looking a little ruffled, I thought she was still very beautiful.  
My mind started to play back the images of her taking down the assaulters, "Where the hell did you learn to do all that back there?" I asked.  
"My dad. He works with the Public Security Intelligence Agency and he taught me a few things."  
I chuckled, "Really? It's still really amazing how strong you are, despite knowing that."

"Well, I did used to get in a lot of fights before…"  
A pretty girl getting into fights; this was simply unheard of to me. I looked back at my cup.  
"Um…"  
My eyes returned back to her, "What is it?"  
"You never told me your name."  
"Oh, sorry. It's Tomoya Okazaki."  
"Tomoya?" she started giggling quietly, "My name's Tomoyo," she put emphasis on the "o" in her name, "Tomoyo Sakagami."  
Who would have thought that I just met had almost the same identical name and meaning as mine. Life sure had a sense of humor.  
"What school do you go to?"  
I told her. Tomoyo's affectionate smile widened, "Really? I'm glad."  
"Why?" I asked.  
"Because that means we'll be seeing each other when school starts next term."  
"But I've never seen you, before. Or are you transferring there?  
"Yeah. I might even have a class or two with my 'rescuer'."  
"Don't be so stupid, it's obvious it was you who did the rescuing. All I did was further tip the balance in your favor."

She laughed, "I'm still very glad someone actually came, though." she sipped the rest of her coffee, "I guess it must be fate that we met, tonight."

* * *

After paying the bill, we left the coffee shop and stepped back outside into the frigid cold. For a period of time, we stood still and silent in the night before one of us opened our mouths to speak.  
"I guess I'll be going then." I said.  
"Yeah, it was very nice meeting you."  
"Do you want me to walk you home? I'm sure you can defend yourself if any stalkers pop out, though."  
"N-no, it's fine. My house is very close to here, anyways."  
I looked at her face. Was she blushing or was she just cold? "Ok. Well, I'll see you at school then."  
Tomoyo nodded, "I can't wait. Again, thank you."  
"Good night, Sakagami-San."  
"Good night, Okazaki-San."  
And like that, we went our separate directions. Only to meet again a few months later.


	3. 02 Beginning

**02 – Beginning**

Early in April, I began attending my senior year at high school. Since I stay out at night, I usually had a habit for coming in late to class from oversleeping. However, the first day of the year always seemed to be a single strange exception. Maybe it's because there's just some mental clock buried deep in my brain or it's just the fact that I always have trouble getting a full night's rest prior to the beginning of year. Good thing I wasn't tired at all since I always feel more energized when I sleep less than more.

After a ten minute commute by bus and a short walk from the station, I was at the bottom of a steep hill that led to the school on top. A wide, white, road with blossoming parallel Sakura trees on each sides outlined the suggested route towards the destination. At a certain point upon my climb, I saw the sight of a girl who stood motionless in the middle of the road while everyone simply walked on without noticing or caring.  
When I approached her from behind, I heard her say something like, "Bean paste bun."

W_hat the hell?_ I thought inconsiderately.

"Do you like this school?" she then whispered.  
For a second, I though she was talking to me. But in truth, she was only conversing with someone inside her mind.  
"I really like this school," the girl continued, "All those happy memories, everyone who's part of it, the good, the bad. I love it all. But, everything, including those memories, won't stay the same forever. Even so, can you still like this place?"  
I spoke instinctively, "Couldn't you just go and find them again?"  
Her head jerked a little as if she had snapped back into reality before turning around to face me. She had short, brown hair and the facial complexions of a teenage girl, yet her eyes were similar to that of a child's. Her skin was very pale and her body was very thin which gave me the impression of a very fragile doll. However, there was still something very attractive and mystical about her as she stood in the bright sun rays in front of the Sakura trees. If I was an artist, this would have been a good moment to paint a picture.  
My eyes then noticed the amount of students on the road beginning to thin which signaled the fact it was almost time for school to start. "Let's go." I said and began moving upwards again. As I walked, I could hear the small footsteps of hers behind me.

* * *

"Okazaki, let's go get lunch!" My friend, Sunohara, called out as he approached my window desk. After a few hours of classes and me paying attention to the teachers' lectures with half a brain, we were dismissed for a forty-five minute break. Most of the students in my homeroom had brought their own lunch boxes while others, like myself and Sunohara, were left to paying for a meal in the school cafeteria. "I'm surprised, Okazaki. You actually came in on time, today. Have you already given up on having fun?"

"No." I said bluntly.  
"Oh well, we both know that you're just gonna go back to your old lazy self in no time flat. You know I'm right. I understand your thinking much too well." Sunohara finished with a big grin.  
"So how bout we make a bet, then?" I inquired, I'll come to school for a month with no tardies and you have to pay for my meal and snack request I make for the rest of the year."  
"Ok, what do I get in return if you don't win?"  
"Hmm…" I tried to think of something that Sunohara would accept without doing too much damage to myself if I lost, "I'll help you look for a cute girl to date."  
"DEAL!" It was too easy. Of course, I didn't really have any interest in holding up his end of the bargain. Besides, no matter what I'd do, Sunohara would just end up with bruises, bandages, and broken bones after screwing up one way or the other. Poor guy; he's always been single. But his eccentricity was a reason I enjoyed his company.  
"Okazaki." he said with an evil grin, "This girl better be really cute!"  
I just smiled. Finding a cute girl wasn't a problem since there seemed to be plenty of them around here. Finding one that could actually put up with this guy and his atrocities would be the equality to finding a slaughterhouse in a Buddhist temple.  
"So, are you going to get lunch?" he asked.  
"I'll catch up with you in a second. Let me get my money from my bag"  
"Suit yourself." Sunomara turned and left the classroom.  
After pocketing my wallet, I stood up to begin walking out but was stopped by a familiar girl with short hair and a small, white ribbon tied on her head's right.  
"Hey, Fujibayashi. What's up?" I said,  
"Oh, nothing. I was just surprised to notice you were on time for class, today. Keep up the good work!" she smiled.  
"What? Are you pretending to be the class representative?"  
Fujibayashi's smile diminished, "Um… I am the class representative."  
"Huh?!" I must be having brain damage to not notice her being elected today.  
"It's ok, Okazaki. Hey, you want me to tell your fortune?" she pulled out a deck of playing cards.  
"As long as it doesn't take long. I have to go get food."  
"Ok, just give me one second." Her slender hands began shuffling the cards one time, two times, three times, four times, five times- then a slight mistake makes her accidentally drop all of them on the ground.  
"Are you sure this is part of the trick?" I said as I bent over to pick up the scattered cards.  
"Sorry, let me get them… Wait! It did work after all!"  
I noticed that only three cards were face up.  
"Let's see. It looks like your actions are going to change the lives of some people for the better, only one of them will you will have a romantic relationship with, and you're not going to get a chance to eat lunch, today."  
I fell back at the last statement. "That sure is a broad prediction." I told Ryou sarcastically.  
"It-It's a girl's intuition!" she rebutted.  
"HEY, TOMOYA OKAZAKI!" I turned towards the direction of the voice and ducked for cover as soon as I saw a fat dictionary flying straight for my face. Luckily, it had missed me by a few centimeters before going out the window behind me. Only one person was capable of using a book as a weapon like that! I looked up slowly to confirm my suspicions and saw the familiar white ribbon that was tied to the left side of a girl's long hair.  
"K-Kyou!" I cried out.  
"Okazaki, you bastard! Are you harassing my sister?!" she came at me and tugged on my uniform's red tie. The sunlight reflecting off her eyes gave the impression that they were glowing with demonic rage.  
"Of course not! I was simply having a conversation with her!" I pleaded for my safety.

"It's true, Oni-San!" Ryou came to my defense, "We were only talking."  
"Oh, reaaalllyyy?" The tie began slipping from her grip. "Well I guess I won't throttle you this time but you still owe me money from last year, you know!" Her eyes then stared at the cards on the floor. "Hm? Was Ryou telling your fortune, just now?"  
"Yeah," I replied, "Apparently, I'm going to change people's lives, have a romantic relationship, and starve today."  
Kyou's face twisted as if she was trying to hold back amusement. "A romantic relationship? Is that so?"  
"What's with that look…?"  
"Nothiiiing." her hand then patted my shoulder repeatedly, "Well, good luck Okazaki-san!" and she left the classroom laughing hysterically.  
"Your twin sister is crazy as always." I whispered in Ryou's ear to avoid a second encounter with Kyou.

Following my meeting with the Fujibayashi twins, I began walking down the hallway towards the cafeteria area. With my money securely in my pocket, I had in mind the chicken sandwich that I was going to order and devour. Yet, luck would have me stopping at the window that overlooked the school's courtyard to see the girl with short brown hair eating lunch all by herself.  
Next thing I knew, I was down there in the courtyard with her as she munched on a bean paste bun under a tall tree. I decided to take a seat next to her and started staring straight ahead into the scenery and the windows. _Why on Earth did I come down here?_ I thought. It wasn't in my personality to sit next to any person when they're eating lunch all by themselves but why was today an exception? Then again, this year felt like it'd be a year of exceptions as soon as I stepped into class. Maybe there was something in the air or I was possessed by some school spirit telling me to change for the better. I chuckled at the stupid thought.  
"Um… is there a problem?"  
I looked over to my right. The girl with brown hair had already finished eating her food.  
"No," I replied, "I just wanted to know why you were out here all alone."  
"Oh." There was a moment of silence between before she opened her mouth again and said, "Do you like this school?"  
"Not really." I said flatly.  
"Well, I love this school. Before, there would be people who'd talk to me as well as teachers that were nice to me. But now…"  
"Did something happen?" I wondered.  
"Last year, I got sick and was forced to take a really long time off school."  
"So you have to repeat the year, again?"  
"Yeah. All my friends had already graduated and moved on with their lives." Her face started getting anxious. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ramble on to someone I just met like that."  
"It's fine. Aren't you in any clubs, though?"  
"I was interested in joining the Theatre Club but my body was just too weak so I couldn't participate."  
"Still, you should actually make an attempt to join. It doesn't matter whether you're weak or not but if you have the will to actually go through and get what you want." I then saw two girls standing on the roof of the school looking in our direction. "Look," I pointed to where the two were, "Try waving to them and smile. You won't make any new friends if you keep a boring appearance." She looked at me as if I was crazy but followed my instructions and waved. Unfortunately, the two girls had turned around and walked away without noticing.

"It's ok," she said quietly, "Sometimes, I feel like my existence doesn't matter in class."

It made me depressed to hear that. She didn't look like the type of girl who would deserve any bit of loneliness but for some sick reason, it seemed fated for her. Maybe there was something I could do to help.

"Alright then," I stood up, "Let's not be strangers anymore. I'm Tomoya Okazaki from Class D."  
The girl smiled, "Nagisa Furukawa from class B."  
"I have an idea. Why don't we swing by the drama club today and see if they're interested in adding another new member."

"Ok!" Furukawa replied cheerfully.  
Right at that moment, I heard distant, rumbling noises of what sounded like multiple engines.  
"What's going on?" Nagisa asked.  
"Let's go check it out." I then followed the students that were running towards the noise.

* * *

When we arrived at the scene, there were two motorcycles disrupting a P.E. class by speeding in circles around the school's soccer field. The class and students that came out to watch were all squeezed in on one side of the sidelines while the faculty was most likely getting security. I looked over to the spectators and saw the back of Sunohara's blonde hair before moving over to greet him. "Hey Sunohara, what the hell is going on?"  
"Some guys from another high school must've got bored and decided to trash this place. Man, I've been waiting SO long for something like this to happen!" with a juice carton in his mouth, he seemed to be really enjoying this.

Only seconds later did I see someone from our side approach the motorcyclists. The girls from our school started cheering while guys were looking dumbstruck. "Oh, my God…" I whispered.  
It was Tomoyo.  
Was she planning on trying to persuade them to go away?  
"W-why is this happening?" I heard Furukawa meekly ask from behind.

"Some schools hold a grudge against ours because we seem to have the highest rate of college acceptance." I took off my jacket and began loosening up my tie, "Doesn't matter. I'm not going to sit by and watch some assholes screw with our territory. Ready for another round, Sunohara?"  
"Don't worry." A female student from the P.E. class said to me, "It's Tomoyo Sakagami! She can handle it on her own."  
"Yeah, but-"

"DON'T F-K WITH US!!!" One of the motorcyclists screamed out as he charged straight forward for Tomoyo.  
Sunohara stood up from his seat, "Oh, shit! They're going to try to run her over!"  
Again, I didn't think. My legs just sprinted forward into the soccer field. But just like last time, Tomoyo had already taken down them both down in less than three seconds with inhuman strength.

"No way…" I heard Sunohara's disbelief.

After surveying the damage, Tomoyo turned around and faced the crowd that had all come to watch. Everyone started clapping for her as if she was some Gladiator champion while I just stood there motionlessly, amazed. Seeing her take down two speeding bikers with little effort made me really wonder what would have happened if I didn't come to help her that one winter night.  
Not before long, she ran back to where I stood and smiled. "Okazaki. Were you planning on saving me, again?" she teased.  
I looked away to the side, "Tch. You handled it quite well on your own, though." For a few seconds, we stood still; waiting for what, I didn't know. But the peace was broken up by the screaming of the security faculty as the students all scattered away from the scene. "We better get out of here."  
Sakagami nodded in agreement.  
"Furukawa-san! Sunohara! Let's go before they catch us."  
Without hesitation, the four of us fled the area.

* * *

Following a long sprint and a few turns around corners, the four of us ended up resting in the middle of one of the school's empty stairways.

"That was… a close one… Who knows what would have happened if we didn't get away in time." I said while as chest rose and fell from breathing heavily. I looked at the others and saw both Sunohara and Tomoyo were quickly recovering their stamina while Nagisa was still slumped over from exhaustion. It was apparent that she wasn't very athletic.  
"Hey, are you ok?" Tomoyo called out to Nagisa. "Let me go get some water for you."  
"It's fine," she panted, "I'll be ok. Anyways, we better get back to class before it starts again."

"Yeah," I nodded, "Sunohara, let's go."  
"H-huh?! W-WAIT! HOLD ON A SECOND!" His cries held no sway over me as I pushed him upstairs towards where our class was held.  
"Okazaki." I heard Tomoyo call from below. "Let's all meet up here after classes are over. Ok?"

"Ok." I replied as I continued my way upwards. Just then, my stomach growled as I remembered I didn't get a chance to eat lunch, yet.


	4. 03 Spark

**03 - Spark**

The afternoon classes took a serious toll on my energy since my stamina was used up during that escape from the soccer field and never replenished during lunch. Throughout the day, I got odd glances towards my corner of the room where there was a low growling noise coming from under my desk. After school ended for the day, I stood up and began moving hastily towards the exit; eager to get a small snack to soothe the demon within my stomach. My left shoulder then felt someone's hand come into contact as I turned around to notice Sunohara with a very sly look on his face.  
"Okazaki. I think I have a theory."  
"Is it full of crap and incoherent bullshit?" I asked with no remorse.

"Of course not! I'll prove it to you right now, even! Cmon."  
The two of us walked down the hall and entered the staircase we were in earlier. We found both Furukawa and Sakagami were conversing with each other and already waiting for us.  
"Okazaki, catch!" Tomoyo threw a bag of chocolate biscuits with a blushing cartoon brown bear on the front. With good reflexes, I caught it with my left hand.  
"Oh… Thanks!" My mouth was beginning to water as I opened the bag and ate one of the biscuits.  
"WHAT?! Nothing for me?!" Sunohara yelled behind my ear.  
"You didn't need it." Tomoyo said coldly, "Okazaki's stomach, on the other hand was empty for the entire day."  
"How'd you know?" I asked while still chewing.  
"Furukawa-san heard your stomach growl when you were going back to class and she noticed you didn't eat anything during lunch break. You should thank her."  
"Oh. Thanks Furukawa."  
"N-no, it was really nothing." she replied with a cute smile.

"So what were you two talking about?" I asked.  
"Well, Furukawa-san was just telling me about how she was interested in joining the theatre c-"  
"HEY SAKAGAMI!" Sunohara called out.  
"What…?"

"I bet that whole thing back there in the soccer field was an act, right?"  
"An act?"  
"That's right!" Sunohara pointed with his index finger, "Just how on Earth can a girl like you take down not one, but two big guys like that, anyways? I bet you paid them to lose so that they could help boost or reputation. Or maybe it's not money but… something else."  
Was this Sunohara's ingenious "theory"? I simply shook my head and did a facepalm. Poor Nagisa had no idea what was going on.  
"Must be convenient being a girl," he continued, "I'm sure these idiots would be kissing your feet if you did a few _services_."  
That last line made Tomoyo give off a scary look. For my safety, I decided to take a couple steps back away from Sunohara.  
"You know, I wasn't planning on taking down anyone from this school when I transferred. But it looks like you're going to be my only exception."  
Sunohara refused to back down, "You really are cute when you pretend to be so strong. Then again, your legs are probably shaking in terror, right?"  
I looked down at Sakagami's rigid legs.  
Tomoyo brushed her hair back, "Well, come at me then. See if you can land even a single punch."  
"Sakagami!" Furukawa cried from behind her.  
"You sure know how to overestimate yourself." Sunohara grinned, "LET'S SEE WHAT YOU GOT, BITCH!" the idiot charged at her with his right hand curled up in a fist.  
Just then, I remembered reading a newspaper article about a beautiful, young, girl in town who was unimaginatively strong. Rumors had it that she mercilessly went around beating up thugs who were causing trouble to locals. Although no one knew who she was or ever got a good glimpse of her, the local media dubbed her the, "White Angel of Wrath".  
"That's how the story goes. But it's no doubt, that Angel just kicked your ass." I told an incapacitated Sunohara.  
"Oh… now you… tell me…" he was out cold on the staircase.  
"Um… is he going to be ok? Should we get the nurse?" Nagisa asked with a worried expression.  
"Don't worry," I said, "Sunohara has a knack for healing himself, real quick. Just leave him here for a few minutes and he'll be back to normal." Although, Tomoyo's kick made it seem he'd be staying on the ground for a few hours. "Anyways, what were you two talking about when we came in?"  
"I was just telling Sakagami about how I wanted to join the theatre club."  
"Oh, that's right. I promised that we would go together after school."  
"Um, Okazaki-san. Are you going to join too?" Furukawa asked.  
"No, clubs aren't really my thing. But I'll go with you for emotional and mental support." What I said saddened Nagisa.  
"Lazy bum." Tomoyo commented, "I'll go with you, too. I can't join yet because of certain reasons but if it's to help the Theatre Club add you as a member, I'm all for it."  
Furukawa's smile returned. "Ok! Although… I don't know where it is..."

"Activity rooms for anything regarding art is on the third floor." I said, "We can just take these stairs to get there."

* * *

Unfortunately, I forgot the theatre club's activities were put on hold due to lack of members and a retired sponsor. So when Nagisa opened the doors, she was greeted by a dusty, empty classroom with mountains of stacked, cardboard boxes and unused chairs. After discovering the disappointment, the three of us silently walked back downstairs towards our locker areas and then outside where there were still students leaving campus. We then sat down on an area of grass outside the school gates and watched as other students passed by.  
"I'm sorry, Furukawa." I said quietly.  
"No… It's ok." her voice sounded so defeated. I could feel my chest burning with guilt of giving away false hope so willingly to only have it snatched away by reality. That's why people really shouldn't take what I say with a grain of salt.

"But it's only put on hold, right?" Sakagami asked, "If it's put on hold, you could simply start the club all over again if you met the requirements."  
"Really…?" Nagisa whispered.  
"That's right!" I remarked, "You could always start things over by yourself. You'll even be the next Theatre Club President."  
"President? Hmm… At first I was only interested in joining as a normal member and now I have the chance to be its President?" I could tell she was imagining this with that blank stare into the sky.

"Tell you what," I said, "If you're really interested in resurrecting the club, I'll help you out in anyway I can."  
"Me too." Tomoyo added.  
Her baby brown eyes then looked over to me and Sakagami, "Um… Why do you both care about me so much? We've only met for a short period of time."  
"Uh…" Tomoyo and I looked away as if we were both trying to come up with a reasonable answer. But it was a good question, though. I didn't know what reasons Sakagami had for helping out so much but I knew for sure that I usually wasn't a very social or helpful type of guy. At least, that's what I believed. Maybe, I was turning over a new leaf or my conscience was tired of staying silent for these past years.  
I then heard Nagisa giggle, "Don't worry about it. At least I'm happy to know I won't be totally alone this year."  
A few seconds of silence passed before Tomoyo leaned over to look past me, "Say, Furukawa. Your family wouldn't happen to own the "Furukawa Bakery" on Serizawa Avenue?"  
"Mhmm." Nagisa replied.  
"Oh, really? My parents always go there to buy bread and pastries all the time. Matter of fact, I was told to go there after school to buy more."  
"My parent's might recognize you, then." Furukawa's face brightened, "They have pretty good memory."

Tomoyo stood up with her hand at her sides, "Well, let's go all go there, then. Okazaki, you think you have the time to?"  
"Yeah, lucky for me my classes didn't assign much homework." Not that I really cared or did them. At that very moment, I remembered about Sunohara still on those stairs. _Ah, he'll be fine._ I thought as I walked away from school.


	5. 04 Atmosphere

**04 – A Change in Atmosphere**

About fifteen minutes later, the three of us stood in front of a small, two-story building that had large display windows, a glass door, and a red, vertical sign that read, "Furukawas' Bakery" in Kanji. The surrounding area seemed to be a residential zone that had houses similar to the store while across the street behind me was an open, dirt field that could be used for either soccer or baseball.  
"I'm hoomme." Nagisa called as me and Tomoyo followed her into the bakery. Strangely, the store was completely empty with no workers at their post, either. "I'm going to tidy up a little and tell my parents you're both here." She headed towards the bakery's back area and disappeared from sight.  
My eyes started to wander around the room, looking at the colorful, cherry, interior, and the different assortment of bread, buns, and pastries laid out on various shelves and tables. Because it was late in the afternoon, a lot of the food trays were empty apart for one suspicious batch in the middle of the bakery.  
"Argh…" I heard Tomoyo groan in frustration.  
"What is it?" I asked.  
"They're already sold out on the melon bread I was going to buy…" She slouched over, looking cutely depressed.  
"Why don't you try these?" I pointed over to the tray that was untouched.  
Tomoyo followed the direction of my finger, "You've never been here, have you…?" she said grimly.  
"Why?" I picked one of the buns up.  
"That's one's a new creation!" I turned to see a short, young, woman with a blue bow tied around her long, pony-tail hair, and baby brown eyes, similar to Nagisa's. _Is this Furukawa's sister? Or mother?_ I thought as she smiled in anticipation of me trying her new recipe. "Feel free to try it out. I'll offer it free of charge since it was left unsold."

I looked over at Tomoyo who was making a tiny "X" with her fingers. Her face read, "You're going to regret it."

_What's the harm?_ Feeling adventurous, I took a bite. My tongue ran into a very strange and sour taste that made me cringe. Plus, the whole thing was stale from being left out all day. _Ugh, another bite just to be polite_. My teeth unexpectedly sank into something hard and crunchy. I looked at the bread and saw it had a layer of rice crackers tucked inside. My mind just couldn't take it anymore. Even though I've been hungry for the majority of the day, this woman's new product was just making me feel sick.

"I call it the 'Rice Cracker Bun' and it's supposed to be representation of harmony."

"That's an interesting concept." I said with my mouth chewing slowly.  
"Well, what do you think of my little gift of creation?" she asked with eagerness.

My hands put the half-eaten bread back on the tray. "It's a failure."  
"WHAT?!" The woman looked as if she just walked in on a murder. "Y-y-y-y-you d-d-don't l-l-like my bread?! D-d-d-doesn't it tastes good?"  
"The taste is its own problem but the bread is just too much work for someone to chew through. No wonder it's not sellin- huh?"

"My bread… Sniff. My Bread…" she was tearing up.  
"Hey, are you ok?" I asked.  
Her two hands suddenly covered her face as she pushed Sakagami out of the way and ran out the bakery. "NO WONDER IT'S NEVER SOLD!!!" I heard the woman screaming in the streets.  
I stood there frozen and dumbstruck.  
"Okazaki, that was awfully mean of you." Tomoyo said with a cold stare.

"Well, she WAS asking for my opinion." I defended.  
"Hey, stupid!" My lower back felt like it kicked from behind. I turned around to see a tall man with short brown hair, a cigarette in his mouth, and a silver baseball bat in his right hand. "Here's the situation, kid." the man said, "You walked in my bakery as a nice, looking, innocent new customer, who was interested in purchasing some of our food. Out of kindness, my wife offers one of her new creations for you to sample and appreciate but instead, you chose to throw it back in her face and disrespect her in the very store I have full authority over." He pointed the tip of the bat at me, "Don't you have any sympathy to know that some people, like poor Sanae, can't handle the truth?

I looked away at Tomoyo. Apparently, she had turned her back around and pretended to be interested in some other leftover pastries on the shelf.  
"HEY! LOOK AT ME!!" the man screamed, "This is what's going to happen: Since you stepped into my territory and broke our universal law of never telling my wife her bread sucks, you've earned your one way ticket towards getting your ass kicked by my bat and boot heel!" He locked my head between the bat and his enormous hand. "Now wouldn't your circumstances be a lot better if you just politely finished your food and say it was good like everyone else does?!"  
I looked back at Tomoyo, "S-Sakagami. Help… me…" I whispered hoarsely. She continued to not pay attention. _How cheeky…_  
The man followed my eyes and stared at Tomoyo. "Hm…?" he then turned to me and looked down at my jacket. "Hey, isn't that the same uniform for the school my daughter goes to?"

* * *

A few minutes after that incident, we were already invited inside to have dinner with the Furukawa's. While Nagisa prepared dinner, the rest of us sat on the living room floor around a traditional, low, Japanese table.  
"Idiot, why didn't you simply say you were friends with my Nagisa?!" The father grinned with a cigarette still in his mouth.  
"We're terribly sorry for embarrassing you both in with our eccentricities." Mrs. Furukawa commented, "I honestly didn't think you two were friends with Nagisa."  
"Ah, don't worry about a thing, Sanae. I'm sure they'll forget about it all by tomorrow morning!" Mr. Furukawa slapped my back which caused me to lose the air in my lungs. _How on Earth did I end up here?_ "But it's really nice to see Nagisa bring home some friends. Right after the first day of school, too!"  
"Speaking of that, we forgot to ask for your names, did we? I'm Sanae Furukawa and this is my husband Akio." The father made a stupidly dramatic pose with his arm.  
"I'm Tomoyo Sakagami."  
"Tomoya Okazaki."  
Mr. Furukawa bursted out laughing, "Seriously? Are you two twins? Never have I seen a girl and a boy sit together with the same boring names. Maybe they're lovers and decided to legally change their names."  
_Out of all the stupid ideas. _I looked at Tomoyo and she turned away, blushing. "We're just friends." I said, bluntly.  
"Sakagami…?" Mrs. Furukawa looked up as if she was trying to remember something, "Oh! I know your family. They periodically come here to buy our melon breads, right? Sorry, but we were sold out today. A girl with long black hair from another high school bought all of ours. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a reference to Shana from Shakugan no Shana)"

"It's ok. I'll just have to come here earlier, next time." Tomoyo said.  
"Still, I never knew the Sakagami's had such a beautiful looking daughter." The mother commented.  
"Ha! She's still no where cute as my Nagisa, though." Mr. Furukawa remarked as he looked towards me. "If this boy was smart, he'd pick my lovely daughter to marry even though I'll probably kill him if he does."  
Mrs. Furukawa slapped her husband on the arm, "Don't say something like that to our guests! I'm really sorry, he's honestly like this to everybody he meets." She turns back to Tomoyo and asks, "So, how is your family doing?"  
"Much better." She replied, "My little brother recently took off his cast and started walking on his own again."

"That's good," Mrs. Furukawa sighed, "I remember about that tragic incident, last year. I'm really sorry for what unfolded for your family."

"No, no. It's fine." Tomoyo smiled before looking down at the table, a little sad.

I was the only one at the table who didn't know what they were talking about. _Just what happened_, I wondered. My mind was curious about what occurred in Sakagmi's past but I was afraid of bringing back bad memories if I asked.

"Dinner's ready." Nagisa returned with a tray consisting of fried fish, steamed vegetables, and a big bowl of rice. Smaller bowls and chop sticks were then passed around before we said, "Itadakimasu", and ate.


	6. 05 Walk

**05 - Walk**

"Come back and visit, anytime!" Mrs. Furukawa cheerfully said from behind the bakery's entrance as Mr. Furukawa and Nagisa stood beside her.  
"Sakagami-san can come back anytime," the father proclaimed before looking at me, "I think I might ban this guy from our store for life and death, though."  
"What the hell do you mean _and death_?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.  
"Hmph, I'm going to have an exorcist come here and purify this home to keep your spirit out if you die before I do."  
"Dad…" Nagisa tugged Mr. Furukawa's shirt.  
"Haha, I'm only kidding. You know I wouldn't keep your friends away. Although keeping your ghost out isn't such a bad idea..."

_Was this guy for real?_ I just stood there on the doorstep, looking down, and shaking my head in disbelief.  
"Thank you for your hospitality and food," Tomoyo bowed formally, "It was a pleasure to meet all of you, this evening."  
"This girl sure has good manners! Okazaki-kun, you could learn a thing or two from her if you cleaned out your ears." Mr. Furukawa laughed as he went back into the bakery.  
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you both, as well." Mrs. Furukawa said with a smile.  
"See you at school tomorrow." Nagisa waved.

"Yeah," I replied, "We'll start thinking about what to do about the theatre club."

"Ok. Well see ya." Nagisa bid us farewell before gently closing the door.

I let out a long heavy sigh of relief. _God, I never knew families like that existed in real life_.  
"I'm going home so I'll see you tomorrow too, Okazaki." Tomoyo said as she turned towards the direction towards where we came from.  
Home; the very thought brought pitiless dread to my mind. I raised my head to look at the red sky and then looked down at my left wrist to check the time on my watch.

6:47PM

_Still too early_. I looked down the sidewalk and saw Tomoyo thankfully still in sight. "Hey, wait!" I called out. She stopped in her tracks and turned her head back to watch me catch up.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"No, but my house is in this direction, too." I told Tomoyo as we continued on.

"Oh, where do you live?"

"Genji area."

"Oh, my house isn't far from there then. I live in the Daito area."  
Daito was an area where the upper-middle class lived and bordered Genji. Unlike my area which was crowded and consisted of small streets and lots of townhomes, the buildings in Daito were generally larger and some were even based on western architecture that immigrants brought with them when they came to Japan. To me, I always thought how interestingly blatant the division between rich and poor was divided by a single road between the two areas.  
"I think I may have passed your house today to go to school." Tomoyo continued.  
"If that's the case, how come I never see you at the local bus stations?"

"Well, I did just transfer to this school after my family moved from the district Nagisa lived. That's how we're so acquainted with her bread and my father usually takes me to school by car before he heads to work. Although, I'd rather walk since you can actually take the time to admire your surroundings and it's good exercise."  
"If you really like it, maybe you should walk to school more often." I suggested.  
"So I can walk with you?" she asked with a clever smile.

"No, I'd still be asleep. Today was only an exception."

Tomoyo frowned at the statement, "You're not joking, are you?"

"Nope. I don't usually come to school on time. I kind of stopped caring, really." I didn't want to lay out the exact details why.

"That's terrible. I thought you were a better person than that." She said coldly.

What Sakagami said stung me. Just what was she getting so worked up about? Was it such a big deal that I would come in late to school or maybe she was hoping for something more from me. I guess I already failed her expectations.

"That's a shame really," Tomoyo said, "You can't walk with me to school, then."

"It's a habit of mine. I can't do anything about it." I sighed.

"No. I think it's something more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. There's just something different about you. For example at the Furukawa's, I noticed you were really tense around the whole time we were inside. Her father was being a bit eccentric, especially at you, but I still thought they were really wonderful and friendly people. Plus, it looked like they really bonded well together as a family which made me question whether or not you were feeling uncomfortable at such a sight. Maybe because your family is different."

I stopped in my tracks at realizing she had hit me on the dot and stared her straight in the eyes. Not only was she insanely strong and beautiful, her observation skills were top notch to the point they scared me.

"It's only your imagination," I said and resumed walking.

* * *

We continued through town, past the school, the shopping district, the various street performers, the river's bridge, and the other residential homes with a growing sense of dread grasping my insides. Along the way, I would often ask Tomoyo if she had anywhere else she wanted to go or if she wanted to see anything in the stores and shops but she would decline my request each time. If I knew my directions around town, my house would be on the same exact path as hers. Even if it wasn't I had a feeling that she wanted to follow me home just out of curiosity of wanting to know where I lived. The thought of breaking off and hiding from her occasionally crossed my mind a couple times. But I couldn't stand the guilt of abandoning Tomoyo and letting her walk alone despite knowing, of course, she could handle things if she got in a sticky situation.

But as we drew closer to my neighborhood, I would slow my pace down to delay the inevitable. Even if it was by a few minutes or seconds, I counted each one and prayed for something to arrive to keep me away from my house. Tomoyo would often glance at me with a suspicious look as if I had a strange aura emitting from my skin. I tried to stay as casual as possible but knowing her, she had already inferred something wasn't totally fine.

Eventually, we ended up in front of my tiny, two-storied, townhouse that was situated in a street corner between other surrounding buildings. Since the area was known to be pretty tightly packed, the roads were barely wide for anyone to drive through so cars would have to park in the nearby lot or garage if they wished to visit the area. Of course, living in Japan with so many sources of public transportation found it pointless for us to actually own a car.

"Aren't you gonna go inside?" Tomoyo spoke as I stood motionless in front of the old double doors.

My heart pounded loudly and deeply like a wardrum while my chest tightened with discomfort. I looked down and whispered, "I don't want to yet."  
"What was that?" she asked.

"Nevermind." I replied. Questions started to rush through my head like a flood. _What would happen if I told her about how my dad and I didn't get along? How would she feel knowing the truth? Would I then have to tell her about my disability? What would she say about that, as well? This is all too embarrassing for me to tell her. God, I wish she'd just leave. _

"Okazaki. Are you ok? You look really tense, again." My head then turned to look at her deep, ocean blue eyes which seemed to be filled with nothing but worry. I asked myself if there was anything I could do to help put her to ease without revealing too much but nothing my mind thought up sufficed. I didn't have a choice. There were something things that some people shouldn't know about and the relationship with my father was one them.

My hands reached for the door in front of me and slowly slid it open far enough for my body to squeeze in. This was to make sure Tomoyo wouldn't be able to see the "fantastic" state the interior of my house was in. Thankfully, the lights were off on the inside and my dad didn't seem to be aware of my presence. Signs pointed out that he had gone to sleep early.  
I breathed a sigh of relief. After stepping inside, I turned around to face Tomoyo from across the threshold and said, "I'll see you tomorrow," with a forced smile and began sliding the door closed.

"Wait!" she stopped me, "Is it too much to ask for you to wake up a little earlier in the morning?"

"Why?" I questioned.

"…no real reason apart from you should. It's good for your health and you won't miss anything in class."

My mind could tell she had another reason for wanting me to wake up early, "Depends on my mood but I'll see." I then considered the worried expression she had on her face a few seconds ago. Maybe it'd make her feel better if I said, "If you really want to walk with me, I guess I'll try to make the effort to wake up on time."

It worked. She smiled benevolently with content, "At least that's better than nothing." Tomoyo's face then shifted to a more serious yet kind, look. "Okazaki, if you ever have any problems or you need someone to talk to, just come to me. Matter of fact, here." She takes her slender hands and reaches into her school bag for the flip phone. "Let's exchange numbers in case something important comes up."  
We did.  
"Excellent. Well, if you do plan on waking up, I'll be passing your house at around 7:30."

"Ok, then."

"Ok. Well, um. Good night, Okazaki. It was nice to meet you, again."  
"Good night," I returned her farewell. She then bowed and left my doorstep. However instead of closing the door, my eyes continued to watch her carefully from behind as she walked down the street before disappearing out of sight at the turn of the corner. Even then, I kept watching. Waiting. But she was gone for sure and I silently closed the door.


	7. 06 Sunrise

**06 - Sunrise**

The alarm clock on the nightstand rattled my brain with its repetitious beeping. With a jolt, I regained consciousness from the blackness of my dreamless sleep and opened my eyes to reality. Out of pure instinctive behavior, my arm reached out towards the direction of the noise and silenced it with a button press. I looked up, "7:01AM," the clock read. _Way too early but should I stay in bed?_ My body wasn't feeling too tired since I chose to go sleep early last night. Strangely, Sakagami's face then popped into my mind as I saw flashes of yesterday's memories.

"_Is it too much to ask for you to wake up a little earlier in the morning?" _I recalled her voice asking me. And like she wished for, it happened. I was up way earlier than my usual delinquent habit and it felt as if I've been doing this for a while. Maybe she infected me with some strange virus of hers. The fact that I've been acting kind of different since that night I met her in the park made me consider the possibility true. But, I shook my head at the ridiculous thought.

"Whatever", I whispered and sat up on my twin sized bed before putting my cold feet on the carpet floor.

The house was quiet. No noise and no movement; just the way I liked it. Dad had thankfully gone to work before I woke up so there was nothing to hold me back from coming out of my room. I looked around. Clothes on the floor in front of me, books and papers all over the little desk on my left, bed messy underneath me, and a trash can full to the brim. It was the typical room for a high school teenage boy and I was not at all ashamed about it. Besides, it's not like anyone, my father included, came in anyways. So what was the point of tidying up?

I slowly stood up and yawned as I lazily exited the bedroom door and then stepped into the tiny bathroom across the narrow hallway. My hand reached for the lightswitch to my right before stepping up to the sink and seeing the reflection of my own face in the mirror. Messy medium length hair, face of an 17 year old teenager, dark, black eyes, it was me for sure.

* * *

After doing my daily routines and eating a quick breakfast of coffee and cereal, I slid the front doors open and stepped into the blinding sunlight. The weather was much cooler and breezier than yesterday but it still pleasant enough to walk in without shivering or sweating along the way. I looked down at my watch, "7:33AM". My body turned to the left and there Tomoyo was, leaning against the wall of one of the neighboring houses. _Wow, she looks like an angel under the sunlight…_ I thought before closing my eyes and shaking my head at the stupid thought.

At the sound of my approaching footsteps, Sakagami looked towards me with a face of pleasant surprise. "You actually woke up early, today."

"Don't get too used to it." I said bluntly. "I only did it because I couldn't fall asleep, again."

"Look on the bright side, Okazaki. You'll actually get to class on time and you get to walk to school with a pretty girl." She winked.

"Don't start acting so vain, now,"

She chuckled, "I'm kidding about that second part. I'm not like that, anyways."

My eyes looked at her. She really was pretty, though, and I asked myself why she was hanging around a guy like me.

"What is it?" Tomoyo asked.

"I was wondering if you were bothered by any lecherous guys while you waited for me, this morning." I lied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"N-nothing." I smiled and the two of us continued to walk towards school.

Minutes passed. We talked, debated, joked, laughed, conversed, and had our "quiet" moments where we simply appreciated the presence of each other. It was strange, really. I wasn't the social type of guy who'd easily make new friends and given my infamous status as a delinquent, most people tended to stay away from me. But this girl, Tomoyo Sakagami, didn't find me to be distasteful at all. Matter of fact, being with her was as equivalent to spending time with Sunohara. Of course, I wasn't attracted to her to the point that I wished to be lovers. I still had my fears and my doubts and I knew no matter how close we became, everything would eventually change whether we wanted or not. It was the one constant tragedy of life that I found to be too true.

"Say, Okazaki." Tomoyo said.

"What is it?" I replied.

"Do you have any idea what you're going to do after school ends and you graduate?"

"Graduate?" the very thought of how I might not even be able to made me feel a lump in my gut. Even if I did graduate, what was there for a guy like me to do, anyways? With my lack of academic achievements, college was most likely out of reach and the thought of finding a job that would fit for me never crossed my mind before. Chances were I was probably going to end up being some loafing, homeless bum on the streets after my senior year. Yet, I was afraid of what would happen if I told Tomoyo that. I had to think of something to respond since I doubted this subject was something she would ignore so easily. I opened my mouth, "Well, um…"

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!!!" A girl cried as I turned around to see a roaring motorbike looking to gore me from behind.

"LOOK OUT!" I screamed at Tomoyo and we both dived in the opposite direction to avoid collision with the vehicle. My head peeked up from the pavement and saw the bike come to a screeching halt before tipping over the side and throwing the driver off onto the ground a few meters in front of me.

After a few seconds of pandemonium, the driver sat up and clutched her arm. It was Kyou Fujibayshi.

"Ah, that hurt." She complained. Her eyes then glared at me, "Hey! Be careful there, will you?"  
"What the hell?! That's my line! Were you trying to kill us?! For God's sake, you were driving on the frickin' sidewalk!" I yelled back.

"Tch," she looked away angrily before smiling and cracking up with laughter, "Truth is, I'm not actually that good at riding this thing, yet. I just got my license last week."

"I think you should get your license revoked…" Tomoyo spoke in a low voice.

"Hm? What was that?" Fujibayshi squinted, "And who might you be? Okazaki's latest boyfriend and victim?"

Sakagami slowly stood up and dusted her school uniform. "For your information," she said, "my name's, Tomoyo Sakagami, and I'm only Okazaki's acquaintance. We just happened to be walking to school together, today out of pure coincidence."

_By coincidence, do you mean suggesting me wake up early and then waiting outside my house in the morning?_ I thought while regaining my balance on two feet.

"Only an acquaintance? Is that so…?" Kyou eyed us both and then bent over to pull the motorbike back up, "No scratches that I can see. Alright, I'll let you both off the leash for now so you don't have to pay for the repair costs. See you a bit later Okazaki. Sakagami, it was nice meeting you."

"You know, we are the victim here…" I commented but Fujibayshi's engine drowned out my words as she sped off into the distance.

"Okazaki," Tomoyo said, "You sure do know a lot of eccentric people."

"Should I consider you one of them?" I asked.

"That's your opinion." Sakagami smiled. "Who is she, anyways?"

I picked up my book bag that was lying on the ground, "She's one of my classmates' sister. Me, Sunohara, and the Fujibayshi twins all knew each other since the beginning of high school and became good friends, since then. Thing is, we don't really hang out together at all." I dusted the bag with my free hand, "But it was pretty funny how we became acquainted."

"Hm?" she looked at me with curiosity as we both started moving towards school, again.

"During summer break of the first year, Sunohara and I were in the shopping district for no particular reason apart from doing something besides staying cooped up inside his dormitory. In the middle of the district, we both got in a pretty heated argument about something stupid so out of frustration, I pushed him into a nearby lingerie shop and he lost his balance at the door. Coincidently, he bumped into Kyou's sister, Ryou, and awkwardly fell on top of her with all the shoppers walking by and staring. From where I was standing, it looked an awful lot like he was trying to rape her in from the fact that his thigh was in between her legs and one of his hands ended up on Ryou's boobs. Little did we know, Kyou was a few feet away when she saw the whole thing so it was seconds later before Sunohara ended up getting the thrashing of his life. A few minutes after the incident, we recognized each other from the same class and laughed it off as if nothing was happening. Sunohara on the other hand was too injured to even smile."

Tomoyo giggled at the story, "That was pretty mean of you, though."

"If you were there that day, you'd agree that he deserved it." I replied.

"Deserved what?" I turned around and saw Sunohara standing a few inches from me.

"What are you doing up this early?" I asked.

"I have to go pay back the favor to a ferocious wild demon gir-" his voice stops dead in its tracks as soon as he looked at Tomoyo. "W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE ENEMY!"

"Enemy?" I crossed my arms, "Funny, I don't recall ever saying I was on your side."

Tomoyo turned around and waved politely, "Good morning, Sunohara. How are you feeling, today?"

"Totally back-stabbed by my best friend! Whatever, I'll have to fight this war on my own then!" he shifted his body into a funny fighting stance.

Tomoyo glanced at the little watch on her wrist, "You're not seriously planning on fighting me this early in the morning, are you?"

"OF COURSE I AM! IT'S EITHER FIGHT FOR MY HONOR OR DIE TRYING!"

_Since when did you have any honor?_ My mind asked.

"You sure are an annoying guy." Tomoyo sighed.

"Well, I held back last time because you were a girl, but it's different now!" Sunohara's index finger pointed directly at Sakagami's face.

She shook her head before turning to me, "Okazaki, can you be a witness? If anyone asks, just say it was self defense, ok?"  
"Well, that sure appears to be the case." I agreed.

"Excellent." Tomoyo turned back to Sunohara, "So, why don't you try coming at me again?"

Without hesitation, he charged in with a fist drawn back and screamed a howling battle-cry.

Sakagami avoided the punch by ducking and then stretched her leg out from underneath to rapidly kick as fast as machine-gun fire.

"Woah, he's getting air-time." I remarked.

After around five-hundred and thirty kicks, Tomoyo does a full 360 degree roundhouse and sent Sunohara rocketing towards a nearby trashbin with a crash. He sure wasn't going to get up anytime soon.

"Did I overdo it?" Sakagami asked while staring at her victim's lifeless body.

"No, don't worry about it. He'll be fine by the time class starts." I turned towards Sunohara and called him out, "Hey, Sunohara. Maybe you should have stayed in bed this morning!"

"F-k…. you…." he whispered before going unconscious.

"See? He's fine." I pointed.

"Well, hopefully, this is the last time I'll have to beat somebody up, here. Besides, I'm trying to make a fresh start away from my old ways." She then smiled, "Although, this does bring back a huge sense of nostalgia."

"What?" I asked dumbly.

"It's nothing." Tomoyo shook her head, "We better get to school before you waking up early was all for nothing."


	8. 07 Sunset

**07 - Sunset**

School ended without much incident, today, apart from Sunohara never showing up for class. I highly doubted he was still knocked out near the trashbins but I wondered what exactly he was doing the entire time I was sitting in school.

As I packed my bag in preparation to go home, I saw Ryou Fujibayshi approach my desk from across the room. "O-Okazaki, I uh… Just remembered you actually came in on time, again."

_She waited all day to tell me that?_ I thought, "Yeah. I just couldn't fall asleep again so I figured there wasn't anything better to do than go to school." I replied.

"Well, at least you're changing your habits, right? It made me happy seeing you in your seat this morning."

"Huh?" Did she really care that much whether I was on-time or not? I certainly never saw her approach any other students on the subject of coming in late or early.

"N-n-nevermind what I said. Ahaha!" she laughed nervously, "S-so, did my prediction actually come true, yesterday?"

I looked up at the ceiling and tried to recall what those predictions were, "Oh, yeah. I don't know about the first one and I definitely haven't found a relationship yet for the second but the third one about me not having lunch came true."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"No, it's not your fault." Just then I remembered something, "Oh yeah, Fujibayshi! Your sister was out causing trouble again."

"Sh-she was?! Did something happen?" Ryou looked shocked.

"Yes! I was walking to school this morning and I nearly got hit by her bi-"  
"OKAZAKI!" I turned to my right and a dictionary flew past my face. I then saw Kyou march up to my desk and said, "Come with me," in a grim tone before dragging me out to the hallway. She then pushed me against the wall and glared straight into my face with those demonic eyes of hers. "Just what the hell were you planning on saying about me, in there?!"

"Jeez, do you have some microphone planted on your sister or something?" I asked.

Her hands then tightened it's grip around my necktie and I felt pressure on my throat. "Tell me, what you were going to say to her!"

"I was just complaining about your stupid bi-"  
Her hands covered my mouth before I got a chance to finish. "Are you trying to get me suspended?! Don't you know that having a bike on school grounds is against the rules?"

_Then why the hell are you driving one when you know it's against the rules!_

Kyou let go of my face and puts a finger over her lips. "Do NOT tell anyone, including my sister, about my motorbike. You got that?!" she then let me go and I stumbled back into the classroom with eyes all glancing at me. I then took my seat with a heavy sigh and noticed Ryou had not moved from the spot since I got called out.

"Um. What did my sister talk to you about?" she asked.

I looked away and stood up, "ATTENTION CLASS!" everyone turned around to look at me, "KYOU FUJIBAYSHI, OF CLASS E, IS A BIIII-SEXUAL!" I could feel the whole class shudder. Only poor innocent Ryou didn't understand what I meant. "Bisexual?" she asked.

"Doing _that _with both guys and girls. It does make sense since she acts a lot like a guy." I replied.

"HUUUUUHHHHHH?!" a disturbing image of her sister must have popped into Ryou's mind.

Kyou barged into class, again, dragged me out, and pinned me to the wall with twice as much force. "Y-YOU BASTARD! YOU ARE JUST SO DEAD TO ME!!!"

"Oni-chan. I never knew this side of you." Ryou stepped out with a face that looked like it was about to cry.

"NO, NO, NO, NO! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BIKE! THE MOTORBIKE, REMEMBER!" Kyou pleaded.

"Are we… interrupting something?" I looked over to the side and saw both Tomoyo and Nagisa standing there watching us.

"Oh hi." I said hoarsely under Kyou's grip, "What are you guys doing here?"

"You said you were going to help Furukawa figure out what to do with the theatre club, remember?" Tomoyo said.

"Ah, that's right. I'll come right away if you help me out, here."  
"OH, You're not going anywhere!" Kyou's grip tightened. Understanding my current situation, I suddenly came up with an idea.

My throat began making gagging noises as my eyes rolled back into its sockets and my whole body collapsed over onto the ground.

Nagisa and Ryou screamed in horror at the sight of what appears to be a lifeless corpse.

"Oh, crap! Is he dead?!" Kyou cried. "I'm going to go get the nurse!" Without wavering, her footsteps disappeared from the scene as everyone else stared on in shock.

"Okazaki, are you ok?" I felt Tomoyo shake my shoulders.

"Is she gone?" I whispered.

That made Sakagami repel back in surprise, "W-what the hell?"

I stood back up as if nothing had happened while everyone looked at me like I was some zombie.

"Sorry, about that." I smiled. Tomoyo's fist then landed on my left cheek.

"OW!" I cried, clutching the side of my throbbing face. "What was that for?!"

"Don't ever do that again…" Sakagami said coldly without looking at me.

"Okazaki, you really scared me…" Furukawa added timidly.

"Ow. Well, I'm sorry. Now can we please go before Kyou comes back and we don't get anything done?" I begged.

With that said, Tomoyo, Nagisa, and I fled the area while Ryou stayed behind to gather her belongings. After a couple minutes and a climb up the stairs, the three of us eventually ended up in the cluttered classroom where the theatre club formerly was.

"Phew, that was a close one!" I exclaimed.

"What did you do to get her so mad?" Tomoyo asked.

"It's a long story, don't worry about it." I grinned. "Anyways, we better get started on this if we don't want to stay here all night."

We pulled out a few chairs and a large, dusty table from the side of the classroom and sat down in a sort of triangle formation with Nagisa at the head and the rest of us at her sides.

"Alright then, let's get started." I said, "First step of forming a club is actually recruiting a lot of members so the best way to do this is to use an advertisement."

"Ok!" Nagisa pulls out a large piece of paper and a permanent marker from her book bag and starts writing.

"It'd be a good idea to host the orientation after Founder's day. If we post it anytime soon, people will be too caught up in organizing for the event." Tomoyo suggested.

"Ok!" Nagisa scribbles more things down. She finally finishes and lifts it up for both of us to see.

**Theatre Club**

**New Member Recruitment**

**Orientation May 15****th**** After School**

**Location: Drama Clubroom, East end of the 3****rd**** Floor. **

**President: Nagisa Furukawa of Class 3-B**

"Looks a little plain, doesn't it?" I commented.

"Does it, now..?" Furukawa stared at the poster, blankly.

"I got it! Write, 'The cutest club leader of the entire school will be waiting for you!' How bout adding that?"

"No, don't do that!" Sakagami reached her hand over to Nagisa's marker.

"Why not?" I asked, "Some stupid guy could walk in falling for it."

"Okazaki, it's going to be more trouble for her if guys like that walked in here." Tomoyo responded sternly.

"Alright, fine." I pulled my hands back as if I wasn't touching the poster, "You should still put something on the ad to make it more attractive, though. Why not draw something cute that you like?"

"I can draw anything I like?" Furukawa asked.

"Yeah, why not?" I answered.

"Alright then!" her tiny hands begins to draw some shapes, "_Dango, dango, dango, dango, dango, the big dango family_."

_Oh, God. Not that song._ I thought with my jaw semi-dropped.

"Yay, it's finished!" she holds up the paper and its littered with dozens of circles and ovals that each had two descending, parallel lines as eyes. Apparently, she was still obsessed with that animated children's show about a large family shaped like Dango treats.

"…wasn't that show really popular back a long time ago? I remember I used to watch that when I was a little kid." Tomoyo mentioned.

"Yes! It's the Big Dango Family! I really love them." Nagisa replied as she stared affectionately at the round shapes on her posters.

"But why The Dango Family out of all things to draw? They were out of fashion a long time ago!" I said.

"I still think they're cute, though." Nagisa sadly looked at the ground, "Maybe this isn't any good…"

"No, no. It's fine!" I tried to reprehend myself, "I'm just not used to seeing them after such a long time. Nonetheless, we should probably go to the library and make more photocopies to post around the school."

About an hour later of printing 30 flyers and taping them in different areas on campus, the three of us departed and went home, despite my offer to celebrate the Theatre Club being put forth in motion. Just like last time, Tomoyo walked beside me as I tried my best to slow down progress towards reaching my house. But even then, I failed at preventing the inevitable and eventually stood on the very street I lived on. But, instead of stopping in front of my house like before, I said my farewells to her at the end of the lane.

"Well, Sakagami," I said, "I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"Are you going to wake up early again?" she asked.

"Depends on my mood. Maybe I will, maybe I won't."

She takes a deep breath and sighs, "Well, it's going to be really disappointing if I wait for you in the morning and see you never show up."

"Hey, it's not like I ever promised…"

"Yeah, that's true." Tomoyo smiled. "Anyways, good bye. Call me if anything comes up."

"Good bye." I started walking slowly towards my house before halting halfway and turning around to notice she hasn't moved from the spot. "What's wrong?"

"H-huh? Oh, nothing. I'm going now." She walks away and disappears out of sight behind one of neighboring buildings.

I breathe a sigh of relief, "At least she's gone now…" I whispered. Don't take it as if I was annoyed by Tomoyo or hated her company. I simply didn't wish for her to know about my secrets regarding my nightly wanderings and the reasons behind them.

My eyes looked at the watch on my left wrist. "4:53PM," It was way too early for me to be home. I decided to walk past my house door and towards the opposite end of the street. _Sorry, Sakagami_.

* * *

Hours passed and I continued to wander across town. I found myself walking through the shopping districts and residential zones, watching full performances of street performers until the very end, and even stopping by to visit Sunohara who was out at the moment for dinner. Eventually, my legs grew tired of walking and I sat down on one of the benches at the Riverside Park.

My eyes stared off into the water as it reflected the setting sun's orange glow with sparkling light and the red sky that surrounded it. This was probably my favorite time of day and being back here on this very bench always seemed to put my heart at ease, even though I never understood why. It wasn't just the beauty of what was in front of me but something very familiar about it that always brought me peace.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I jumped at a familiar voice from behind me.

"S-Sakagami! What on hell? How'd you find me?" I asked with a voice full of shock.

She moved around the bench to sit down next to me, "I've been following you this whole time."

"What? Why?" I stared at her as she stared, vacantly into the river.

"I wanted to confirm something. Ever since that night when we ate dinner with Furukawa and that awkward walk home where you kept trying to slow us down from going home, I've been curious as to why you were acting so strangely. At first I thought it's because you wanted to spend more time with me but I later understood that you were just scared to go home. Well, maybe not scared but there's something about that house that drives you away. I'm guessing it's your family members."

Her words stabbed me like a rusty, butcher's knife as I felt my body temperature rise. _Just how long had she known the truth_? I wondered. Thoughts of my father popped into my mind and I clenched my fist into a ball of frustration.

"So, am I right or is this "_my imagination_", again? She looked directly at me and I felt as if her eyes were digging into my brain.

I couldn't stand it. I quickly looked away, back into the water. "…No." I whispered in a defeated tone, "…you're right. I hate being home and I hate the person who lives inside it with me."

I could tell she was still looking at me, "Who?" she asked.

I took a deep breath. "My old f-king man." I spoke through gritted teeth. "The man who sees me as a stranger instead of a son. The man who does nothing but drinks and gambles his reality away. The man who ruined my life and my dreams, forever!" I stood up in front of her as she stared at me blankly. "Do you know what the worst thing he ever did was?!"

She shook her head.

"I could have been selected for the school's basketball team but I was rejected because of this," I raised my right arm slowly and stopped when it created a ninety degree angle with my body. "I can't move my right arm any farther than my shoulder…"

"W-why?"

"Because during my third year in middle school, my father and I got in a fist fight and he shattered my shoulder on my bedroom window. We were poor and didn't have any money for surgery so I was forced to mend it best I could."

Tomoyo looked down at my feet, "Oh my God… I'm so sorry. I… I shouldn't have tried prying into your personal life."

I felt myself calm down. _Was she… crying?_ I sank to my knees to check if Sakagami really was but the long, gray bangs obscured her face. Still, it was an alien sight to see and think of. In the short time we met, I never expected that strong, deadly, fearless, Tomoyo was human enough to actually show tears.

She turned away towards the side and then rubbed her eyes with her right knuckles before looking up at me with a faint smile. "I'm fine, Okazaki."

"That's a relief." I sighed.

Her eyes looked back at the ground again, "But Okazaki. I feel really bad for bringing back your bad memories."

I looked away for a moment, "Don't worry, it's all in the past. As long as I keep my mind off of it, I'll be ok." I replied quietly.

There was a moment of deep silence between us as random joggers and pedestrians moved past us with quick glances. Tomoyo then looked at her watch and said, "It's 6:11. You probably haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"No," I stood up. My shoulders and body felt lighter at the relief of her no longer feeling sad.

"You want to go look for somewhere to eat, then? I'm kind of hungry."

"Yeah, that'd be great but aren't your parents going to wonder why you're not home? Plus, didn't you say you were going to have a lot of homework to do when we left school?"

"I told my parents I'd be eating dinner at a friend's house and that homework bit was an excuse for you to not be suspicious about me following you around. Truth is, I don't have any at all. I did most of it during our breaks."

"That's pretty sneaky of you." I remarked. "So, Sakagami-san. Are we going to eat or what?" I offered my hand in front of her. She took it and I pulled her up from the bench. "Let's go together."


	9. 08 Gift

**08 - Gift**

"We're seeing certain anomalies in this particular subject."

I heard a man's voice echo my surroundings as I laid there, immobile and paralyzed. _Where am I_? I asked but my mouth was unable to move. My eyes were wide open but all I saw was an endless blackness with no figures in sight.

"What's the cause of all of this? Do you know?" A woman's voice spoke from the darkness.

"No. But I suspect it has something to do with that girl. Her actions have caused things to stray from the suggested route." The man replied.

I didn't understand what they were talking about and that made me frustrated. "_Who the hell are you people?!"_ I wanted to scream but my vocal chords refused to obey.

Silence came over for a moment before the woman whispered, "Could it be… his fault? He always did favor her for some reason."

"I doubt it," the man answered back, "He's fully aware of what would happen if they continued this path."

_What path? What are you talking about?!_ I wanted to explode with rage. Was anyone even aware of my existence?

"What exactly should we do then?!" Woman cried, "There has to be something we can do to change this, isn't there?"

"No," the man responded frankly, "all we can do is observe and see how this continues."

A quiet pause entered and I heard footsteps walk around me.  
"Maybe he found a way for them to-." The woman voiced began to trail away as my body started feeling the sensations and the softness of my bed. Reality then hit me like a sledgehammer and I opened my eyes to the familiarity of my room.

"Ugh, what was that?" I whispered while clutching the side of my head. For a few seconds, my brain felt as it was just poked by someone with long finger nails but the pain quickly subsided as fast as it came. My eyes then looked over to the clock and noticed I had awakened twenty minutes earlier than when I had set the alarm. I turned to the side and laid on my back while staring up at the crack in the ceiling. Strangely, my body wasn't feeling tired, at all, despite only receiving about five hours of sleep. Maybe it had something to do with that weird dream of mine I had. I checked the clock again; just to be sure I wasn't going crazy. 6:42AM. _Nope, I'm not going crazy but this is still seriously out of the ordinary._

A week and a half had passed and I was starting to wake up later and later due to staying up at night from the increase in homework and my frequent wanderings. There were even some mornings when I overslept and was forced to wake up to the sound of Sakagami calling my cell phone. I swore sometimes she must've been a reincarnation of my deceased mother.

_Whatever. _I slipped out of bed and went on with my morning routine.

* * *

7:21. I stepped out of my house and noticed right away that Tomoyo was not waiting for me at her usual spot. Although it did make sense, considering that my body chose wake up so early, it still felt very unfamiliar for me to see. I wondered for a moment what she would say when she found out I've been waiting for her instead of the opposite situation. Suddenly, my mouth then turned into a smile at realizing this was a very rare opportunity for me to do something. Without hesitation, I ran down the street, turned to the left, and left again to hide behind my one of my neighbor's tall bushes. After about four minutes of waiting, my ears heard light footsteps approaching my position before peeking up and seeing Tomoyo had passed by without knowing. _Awesome. _I thought as I moved around the plants to slowly creep up from behind. She was walking faster than I sneaked so I stretched my legs farther and moved in larger steps while staying completely stealthy. _Almost there._ Her back was less than a feet away. Now it was more than within arm's reach. _Perfect!_ I made my right hand into a shape of a pistol and jabbed my index finger into her spine. In the deepest, most gruffest voice, I said "Freeze!"

Tomoyo grabbed my hand from behind and threw me over her shoulder onto the hard sidewalk. My whole body tingled as if it had just landed in cold water while my eyes flashed with red and white colors. "Ow…"

"Oh my, God! Okazaki! I didn't know it was you!" she squatted down to help me up.

"Ugh, that was the point. Still, I should've seen this coming a mile away." I slowly sat up with my body feeling very stiff.

"Well, that's why you shouldn't joke around with me…" Sakagami said flatly while pulling me up onto my feet.

My back cracked and my vision refused to stay stable.

"I'm really surprised you're up so early, Okazaki." Tomoyo smiled, "I thought I'd have to break into your house today and wake you up."

"Now that would have been one rude awakening…" I replied at the idea.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd like the thought of a girl coming over to wake you up."

My mind tried to picture what it would be like to wake up and see Tomoyo first thing in the morning. "Hm. Maybe I would like that…"

"Perhaps I should start doing that tomorrow just to see the reaction on your face."

"You're not being serious, are you?" I asked her but she just continued to smile.

For these past few weeks, this had been the schedule. I'd wake up, get ready, and walk with Sakagami before occasionally meeting up with Sunohara if he felt like coming to school. Over this period of time, Tomoyo had gained much more popularity among her classmates, Sunohara's days of absence and defeats by Sakagami continued to rack up, Kyou would still illegally drive her motorbike again despite being a class representative, Ryou's had become the school's official fortune teller, and Nagisa's theatre club hasn't received much success with the flyers being taken down for posting without the school's approval. As for myself, I've actually started forcing myself to both attend class regularly and do as much of my homework as I can, with Tomoyo's help. However, my new routine has taken a massive toll on my sleeping hours…

During lunch that day, I was heading off towards the cafeteria to buy a sandwich when something past the library door window caught my attention. When I stepped inside the usually empty area, I saw a peculiar girl sitting alone in the opposite corner of the room on top of a picnic cloth that was neatly laid on the floor. As I moved closer, I noticed she was sitting barefoot with a set of complicated books on quantum phsyics, organic chemistry, philosophy, sociology, etc. scattered around her within a one foot radius. In her hand, she was reading at an inhuman speed something that contained very intricate math formulas I have never seen before, in my life.

She suddenly stopped at a particular page with an, "Oh!" and pulled out some hidden scissors from her side. Her hands then slowly moved to position the dual blades between the sheet of paper. _Was she serious about cutting up a school book?_  
"Hey, you're not allowed to do that!" I cried.

Her head slowly looks up towards me at the speed of a turtle. "…huh…?" Her face looked as if it was half asleep or drunk.

"That's a library book, right? You can't just cut things up without permission." I informed her.

She continued to stare at me blankly before looking away.

"What are you doing here, alone? Are you skipping class?"

The girl reaches into her bag and pulls out what appears to be her lunch container. "…My own homemade…" she said dreamily as she opened the lid.

"Huh?" I didn't hear what she said, clearly.

"…I'm particularly proud of this piece here…" the girl smiled and pointed to pieces of cut up chicken.

"Food and drinks are banned from this room, you know." I said quietly.

"…Would you like some…?" she continued pointing.

I was surprised by this sudden notion. Here, a girl I just met and barely knew was already offering me food. _She sure is strange_, I thought as I took a seat next to her on the picnic cloth.

"Oh!" her body jolted a little.

"What is it?" I asked.

"…I only have on pair of chopsticks for myself…It's ok… you can just pick up a piece with your hands…" she offers the container to me.

I take a piece of chicken and put it in my mouth. "Mm. It's good!"

She puts up a big smile which quickly dropped when I stood back up to leave.

"I think you should clean up before classes start soon." I suggested. The girl continued to stare. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

The smile returned, "…see you later…"

I exited the library with questions racing through my mind as to who that person was. _Maybe I'll ask Ryou when I get back to homeroom._ Just then I remembered what I was doing earlier and started walking back towards the cafeteria. At the turn of a corner, I saw a group of girls walking towards me. In the center of the group was Tomoyo who stopped when she saw me.

"Ah, Okazaki. Are you headed to the cafeteria?" she asked.

"Yeah." I replied, noticing her friends were all staring at me and whispering to each other.

"It won't do you much good." She said, "The lines are completely full and you'll be late to class by the time you get your food."

"Does that means I'm going to have to starve, again…?" I sighed. First my sleep hours decreased and now my meals were to be skipped. God, my life sucked. Maybe I should have went back to the library and asked that girl for the rest of her food.

"Don't worry. I knew you usually get sidetracked during this time of day so I took the liberty of getting you this." She walks up to me and hands me her cafeteria bought sandwich. "You don't have to pay me back. Consider it a 'good job' for actually waking up a lot earlier today."

I stared down at the cling wrapped sandwich in my hand without knowing how to properly react. Even though it looked burnt and a bit overcooked on the outside, it was still worth an awful lot to me since I didn't remember the last time anyone had been this nice before. The stupid thought of actually preserving her sandwich on an altar actually crossed my mind but I declined as I soon as I began unwrapping my meal.

"Gosh, you're such a helpless guy," she smiled, "Well, I have to go get ready for something important so I'll talk to you later. Oh, I almost forgot! Furukawa was looking for you, earlier. I think she's still in the courtyard so just go check there."

"O-oh, ok. Anyways, thanks for the bread."

She waves and then heads off in the opposite direction with her gossiping friends. Yet, even long after she had disappeared out of sight, I still continued to stare in her direction as if I was wishing for her to turn around. To be honest, I was happy that Tomoyo has finally been able to find her place here among the other students, here but at the same time I felt as if I was being left behind.

_Whatever_, I thought and took a bite of the sandwich before walking away in the opposite


	10. 09 Another Gift

**09 – Another Gift**

As Sakagami described, Nagisa was waiting for me in the courtyard while quietly eating a bean paste bun under a Sakura tree. Just like that time on the first day of school, she was sitting all by herself without anyone even paying remotely any notice of her.

"Hey, Furukawa," I called Nagisa out of her lonliness, "What's up?"

She was a bit startled by the sound of my voice but then looked at me and smiled, "Oh. Hi, Okazaki."

"Eating alone, again?" I asked.

"No, Sakagami was with me a little earlier before she went off with a few of her friends."

Those staring eyes of Tomoyo's new acquaintances returned to haunt my train of thoughts. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and then opened them again to see Furukawa's cute face still looking at me and smiling.

"So, what did you want to ask me about?" I asked.

"Um. Just how you were and what we should do about the Theatre Club. We haven't really been working on anything so I was wondering if you had anything planned."

"I'm fine and healthy but you're the club president so shouldn't you know what to do?"

Nagisa sadly looked down at the ground beneath her feet. Apparently, she must not have taken what I said so well.  
I took a seat next to her under the tree's comfortable shade and tried to quickly take back what I said, "I was kidding. Besides, I said I'd promise to help you, didn't I?"

She continued to stare at the ground, "No, it's not that. Sometimes I feel like I'm relying on you and Sakagami too much to be able to do anything right, by myself." The way she said it was just heartbreaking, "Sometimes, I feel so useless…"

"Don't say that!" I spoke impulsively. Nagisa looked up with a surprised face. _Why does she, out of all people, have to always doubt herself like that? Doesn't she realize at all she's not going to get anywhere far with that kind of mindset?_ _Am I getting frustrated at her insecurity? I better calm down_.

My lungs took in a deep breath and then exhaled out my irritation, "We're all here to help each other out, right? That's what people are supposed to do when they see others having trouble with something whether it be big or small. Besides, starting and running a club isn't something that's easy for people to do since there's so much responsibility and time you have to put forth for it. Don't you ever think you're useless because you should be proud at the fact that you've actually chose to step up as the Theatre Club's successor."

Furukawa stared at me blankly, "Okazaki…"

"Everybody who supports you is happy to work with you. Don't forget that. We're not asking for anything in return; only that you see your dream become a reality." I stopped right there. _Where the hell was all this coming from_?

Nagisa's smile returned brighter than before. "Ok! I'll try my best!" Apparently, my statement had greatly boosted her morale, "But we still have to find a way to recruit members." She said.

I looked up at the birds flying freely overhead, "Maybe we should recruit by mouth, instead, if the stupid Student Council Association won't let us post flyers."

"Don't call them stupid; they're just following the school rules. It's our fault for not knowing before hand."

I breathed out a heavy sigh. My opinions had always viewed the SCA as a bunch of stuck-up, pompous, snobby bunch of individuals who barely had much authority in school. However, Nagisa had a point. It was our fault that we didn't check the rules for posting, beforehand. Out of the blue, that odd person from the library suddenly popped into my mind, "Maybe, I should ask that girl," I whispered.

"Hm?" Nagisa looked at me.

"N-nothing, nevermind. Let's try asking people we know first before we start with strangers." I suggested.

"Ok." She nodded.

"By the way, I never asked you as to why you wanted to start the theatre club. Do you have any experience with acting?"

She looked away towards the distant school windows, "No. I'm a complete amateur. I don't even know anything about the details involving a play."

The president had just revealed a very undermining truth that shook me a little. "What about the kind of play you want to do?"

"Uh… kind of play?"

I sighed, "You know, like comedy, romance, drama, tragedy, musicals, etc."

'Well, it's really, really fun!"

_What an ambiguous answer._ "Is it a comedy?"

"No, it's not a pure comedy."

I sighed again, "I guess it'll make more sense when we see it for ourselves. Anyways, why do you want to act in the first place when you have zero experience?"

Nagisa paused for a moment and said, "Because I thought it'd be really fun to act with everyone. Ever since I was little, I had trouble getting to see school plays because I was sick all the time. I would be absent from school often so I couldn't participate in the rehearsals, either. So ever since I joined high school, I've always had a desire to join the Theatre Club to make up for the years I lost my chances. I don't know whether things will turn out good or bad but I want to at least go home happy knowing I tried, at least. Plus, I think everyone working hard together towards one goal is a very beautiful thing."

_Well said, Nagisa. Well said._ I never thought her reasons for wanting to act were so deep. She was indeed, someone who deserved to have her dreams fulfilled. "You know, I think you should say that at the club's open house."

"Really?"

I nodded, "I think you'd convince a lot more people to join if you spoke with everything you had in mind. Take me for example, I always speak from my mind."

"Yes you do. And it hurts, sometimes…"

"Well, just believe in your own words and keep it up."

She smiled cheerfully, "Ok, I will!"

I then looked down at my watch and stood up, "We should probably get back to class. We'll meet up, again, after school in the club room."

"Alright then." I had started walking away when I heard Nagisa call my name, "By the way, thank you for your advice." she bowed courteously.

I vacantly stared at her. It was foreign to have someone thank me so sincerely for my advice. _Since when were my words so wise_? I wondered. "U-uh… you're welcome?"

* * *

The school day ended much quicker than I had expected. But then again, my mind occasionally dozed off at incoming sound of the instructors droning on and on about equations and formulas. At least I was still conscious enough to actually take some useful notes, despite the terribly sloppy and lazy handwriting of mine. Sunohara, on the other hand, had put his head down on the desk and was knocked out for the entire afternoon without anyone bothering to wake him. Even when we were all packing up to leave, he was still there, drooling on that tabletop. Just then, the sight of Ryou reminded me of a few things I wanted to ask her, earlier.

"Hey, Fujibayashi." I called out to her.

"Y-yes?" she replies with eyebrows raised in surprised.

"I was wondering if you were interested in joining the Theatre Club. A friend of mine is looking for members and you said you enjoyed dramas, didn't you?

She looks up at the ceiling for a moment, "Um... Are you joining it?  
"No," I answered, "I'm only there to help out a bit."

"Oh, I see." Her face gave off an aura of slight disappointment. "Well, I'll see if I'm free or not. When does the orientation start?"

"May 15th."  
"Alright, I'll try to keep that in mind. Just remind me."

"Yeah, sure. Oh, and one more thing. Do you know who that strange girl in the library is? The one who reads all day, alone, and looks as if she literally lives there?"

Ryou paused for a moment and then said, "That's definitely Kotomi Ichinose of Class A." The name sounded very familiar, "She's ranked in the top ten in every subject of the nationwide exams. Even though she never comes to class, no one really minds since she studies on her own. A lot of people are very fond of her and her family."

"So she's a genius, huh?" I didn't think at once she'd be that talented when I met her. "You free today?" I asked, Ryou.

"Sorry, I have to go home." She replied.

"Oh, ok. Well you better get going. I'm going to stick around here for a little bit. Plus, there's… something I want to take advantage of." I pointed at a sleeping Sunohara.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later, then." Fujibayashi waved cheerfully and left the room with the rest of the students.

After a couple minutes, only me and Sunohara remained behind in the empty classroom. I had come up with a good prank to pull on him but something crossed my mind before I was about to attempt it. I reached into my pocket to pull out my cell phone and proceeded in cycling through my contacts list for Tomoyo's name. When I found it, I selected "Send text message" and typed,

**Hey, are you busy? Do you  
want to meet up in  
the Theatre Club Room  
after school?**

before pressing, "send," and returning the device to my pocket.

"Oh, baby…" Sunohara mumbled in his sleep. The moment was just too perfect for an opportunist like me to take. I stood up and walked over to his desk.

"Sunohara!" I spoke loudly.

He lazily opened his eyes and looked at me from the top of the desk. "…Huuuhh? Are classes over…?

"Yeah, about a hundred years ago." I replied as gravely as possible.

"A hundred?!" Sunohara bursted out laughing, "Wouldn't you be dead?!"

"I am. This is actually a hologram of my former self."

"S-seriously?" his face grew with terror.

"Yes, you've slept for a hundred years after being kicked by Sakagami. You're in a world that is a hundred years into the future."

"Wait a minute!" he cried, "What happened to the world?!"

"It ended."  
"WHAT?!" he then clapped his hands together and began praying, "Father. Mother. I'm so sorry I was an idiot to the very end! I'll live my best even if I'm alone."

I had enough of his stupidity. "Hey, wake up!" I kicked Sunohara lightly with my shoe.

"WOAH! THE HOLOGRAM KICKED ME! Wait, you're real!"

"I'm actually a cyborg." _Maybe I'll let this go on a little longer._

"Then when you said the world ended…"  
"It's true."

"WHAT?!" Sunohara started to pray again, "Father. Mother. I'm so sorry I was an idiot to the very end. I'll live my best with Cyborg Okazaki!"

"I can't believe you were able to go on for so long…" I crossed my arms.

"WHAT?! You were lying?!"

"No shit, Sherlock. You believed it?"  
"OF COURSE I DID! I WAS HALF ASLEEP!"

Just as Sunohara was spouting out a string of complaints, I felt something vibrate near my thigh. Realizing it was my cell phone; I pulled it out and read,

**Sorry. I'm very  
busy today :[ Just  
walk home  
without me when  
you leave. **

The message made my heart sink a little bit but I quickly realized that there would be certain days when I wouldn't be able to walk home with her.

"OKAZAKI, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!" Sunohara roared in my ear.

Apparently, I wasn't. "Get your stuff and let's go. There's something I want to ask you."

"Huh? Alright then." He obeyed my command and we exited the classroom, together.

"So, what was it you want to ask me? Dating advice for Sakagami?" Sunohara said with a mischievous smirk.

I flinched at the idea but quickly suppressed it with a more important thought, "No. The Theatre Club is looking for new members to recruit. Are you interested?"

"Theatre Club?" he looked at me as if I was planning something suspicious, "I never thought you were the type of person who'd join."

"I'm not joining. I'm just helping Furukawa out because I don't really have anything better to do."

Sunohara chuckled, "First, Sakagami. Now Nagisa-chan? You sure are a playboy, Okazaki."

"Don't put me at your level…" I replied coldly. "So are you going to join or what?"

"Of course! I want to help Furukawa, as well."

My legs stopped moving in the middle of the lightly populated hallway. "Do you seriously like her?" I asked.

"Yes I do! I've never loved anyone so seriously before. Besides, if you're not going after her, I might as well will."

_What a load of bullshit._ I thought impulsively, "Well up ahead in the library, there's a mysterious and beautiful girl who sits around reading complicated books all day. She's smart, really cute, innocent, appears to be single, and if you talk to her, she might give you food."

Sunohara's eyes widened with interest. "PLEASE INTRODUCE HER TO ME!"  
_I knew it._ "Go check the library; I think she's still there."

He runs off at the speed of light without hesitation.

* * *

After a pit stop to the bathroom, I started heading towards the library to see how far Sunohara had progressed towards courting Kotomi. As I approached the end of the hall way, I heard very loud crashing and screaming from beyond the library's double doors. _What the hell is he doing in there?!_

There was a moment of eerie silence before the doors slowly opened and Sunohara stepped out, looking totally defeated. "I GOT-……………………………………….-COMPLETELY IGNORED!"

"That was one awful long pause…" I replied.  
He turns around and slides the doors closed, "This girl is ridiculous. She won't respond to anything I say! Sweet talk, small talk, nothing worked. Eventually I just got so pissed off that I started throwing books and knocking shelves over but she still kept reading on as if nothing was happening. Could she be mentally disabled? I'd hate you forever if you made me hit on a person who is ill. Who is she, anyways?"

"She's Kotomi Ichinose. You've heard of her, right?"

"Ichinose…?" he looks off to the side for the moment, "You tried to get me to flirt with that famous genius girl? Well, at least she is pretty, like you said, but she's too into her own world for me to even try. I'm going home. All that effort made me extremely tired so I'm gonna go take a nap. See ya!" he started walking away with a casual demeanor.

I then opened the library doors and stepped through. Just like my mind played out Sunohara's actions, the interior was fresh with chaos and looked as if it had been turned it into a war zone. Books were scattered everywhere on the floors, tables, and chairs while a shelf to my right was toppled over with more books crushed beneath it. Amidst the disorder sat Kotomi in her little corner, reading, and looking right as rain. I approached her with echoing footsteps and squatted down towards her eye level.

"Hey, Ichinose," She kept reading without even noticing me, "Ichinose…" Still nothing, "…Kotomi-chan…"

"…huh…?" Finally, a response. Her face slowly turned towards mine with a smile, "…Oh… Hello, Tomoya-kun…"

_How does she know my name? Maybe Sunohara said something._

She then looked around me and noticed the disarrayed state the library was. "…Tomoya-kun… You're not allowed to make a mess like this…!"

"You never do change, do you?" I said with a heavy sigh, "Anyways, I have something to ask you."

* * *

After spending about half an hour trying to clean the remnants of Sunohara's destruction, I convinced Kotomi to join the Theatre Club with little effort. However, we took twice as much time trying to get to the meeting room because she hid behind me with terror at almost every student or faculty member we passed by. I'd often get strange looks my way that made me appear to be some shady kidnapper. But eventually we reached the club-room and found Nagisa waiting inside.

"Sorry, I'm late." I said as I walked in, "I had to help clean up the library after Sunohara trashed it."

"Oh, it's fine." Nagisa said with a joyful smile, "I actually just got here a couple minutes ago."

"Well, it's a relief I didn't have to make you wait for so long." Kotomi was still behind me using my body as a sort of shield. "Anyways, I brought you a new member for the club." I looked over my shoulder and said, "Come on, introduce yourself."

"…Hello, Tomoya-kun..." Her head bows courteously at my direction.

"NO, NOT AT ME!" I push Kotomi towards Nagisa.  
She looks at me and asks, "…Is she going to hurt me…?"  
"Try saying your name." I replied.

"…Um…" she points a finger in towards her face, "…Kotomi… You spell my name with three Hiragana… When you speak to me, you can call me Kotomi-chan…"

"I'm Nagisa. You spell my name with one kanji character. People call me differently from person to person, so…"

"…Nagisa-chan…"

"That works!" she smiled.

"Why don't you two try talking about something besides your first names?" I suggested.

"…My last name is Ichinose…"  
"Mine's Furukawa."

"…I'm in class A…"  
"Class B."

"…Blood type A…"

"My blood type is A, too."  
"…I like reading…"  
"I like acting."

"…Pork cutlet sandwich…"  
"Bean paste bun."

"…elephant…"

"Kitty."

"OK, STOP! This conversation is no longer making any sense!" I cried before looking at Nagisa, "You do know she's a super, smart, genius, who doesn't have to study the school exams, right? Therefore, she should have an excellent vocabulary which makes her perfect for writing our scripts or act…..ingwhat are you doing?!" I turned to my left and saw Kotomi opening a small box that erupted with a cloud of dust when she lifted the lid.

"Are you ok?!" Nagisa rushed towards a coughing Kotomi.

"…Is this box haunted…?"

"No, it's not…" I replied, getting slightly impatient at the lack of progress we were making. "Furukawa, why don't you try saying something to her." I recommended.

"Um… I'm jealous about how beautiful your hair is."

"NO! I mean about the club! Tell her about why you want to act together and add in some stuff like how you want to laugh and shed tears together."

Kotomi's face began to produce concern, "…Do I have to cry in this club…?"

"Only when the scene in the play tells you to." Nagisa replied.

"…I don't want to cry…" Kotomi whispered.

"But still, when you have to, you have to." Nagisa implied.

Kotomi then looked straight into Nagisa's eyes, "…Are you a bully…? She asked.

"No, I'm not." Nagisa replied.

"…Oh…" Suddenly, something on the table near where we were standing caught her attention as she slowly walked towards it. She picked up the original flyer we drew up to help advertise for the Theatre Club. "…It's the Big Dango Family…"

"Oh, wow. Another person who recognizes that cartoon..." I whispered to the side.

Meanwhile, Furukawa approached her from behind and asked, "Do you like the Big Dango Family?"

"…Yeah… I love them…"

This statement brought lots of joy to Nagisa's face.

"So, Kotomi." I called her, "What do you think Furukawa and the club?"

"…I think it's great and Nagisa-chan is really kind…"

"So will you stay with us?" Nagisa asked.

She turned to her and smiled, "…Of course…!"

* * *

Following Kotomi's induction into the Theatre Club, the three of us bid farewell and began heading home. As I left the building from the shoe locker area, the thought of looking for Tomoyo to tell her I was leaving crossed my mind. But I had no idea where exactly she was so instead, I continued moving away from campus and eventually into the streets. Even though it's only been almost two weeks, the feeling of walking home alone felt somewhat uncomfortable and unusual. For example, things I never was aware of while walking around the shopping district with Sakagami became noticeable. The specific shop names and products they sold, the wave of noises and all the people chatting at once, and the great number of shoppers and foreign tourists asking for directions made me ask if I had been paying too closely attention to Tomoyo while we walked together.

My mind then wondered what she was doing, at the moment. Could she had been staying after school for help in subjects, tried out for sports and music clubs, hung out with her other friends, or maybe she found a boyfriend already. There were so many possibilities and answers that I came up with and none of them made more or less sense than reality. It didn't matter; whatever she was busy with, it was much more important than me.

That thought drastically slowed the speed of my moving feet. I then questioned what would happen if she got tired of hanging around me, everyday. Besides, she had much better things to do than hang around some delinquent, lazy bum who didn't care much about the world.

I then heard myself strangely chuckling, _What am I getting so worked up over?_ I thought,_ It's not like I've never walked home by myself, before. Besides, I've been doing it for years now._ My pace suddenly returned to normal as I passed through the busy streets of the district.

I looked at my watch which read, "4:39PM". _No point in going home, yet. I think I'll stroll around for a while until after dinner._

Unexpectedly, something past the large windows of a small local book store caught my attention. Standing between one of the front-most shelves was Kotomi reading a book, all by herself. She suddenly, then reached inside one of her jacket pockets, pulled out a small pair of hidden scissors, and brought the blades towards the page she was on.

_WHAT THE HELL IS SHE THINKING?!_ I blasted into the shop and charged straight for where Kotomi and grabbed her hand before she could make the incision. "Just what are you doing, you idiot?!"

She slowly turned to face me and then jolted with an, "…Oh…!" as if her mind was reacting late. "…Tomoya-kun… Hello… Is something wrong…?"

"Don't give me that crap!" I retorted. "Do you really want this book?"

She looks at me blankly and then slowly nodded.

"Alright, wait here." I took the book out of her hand and walked over to the cash register where I paid for the novel. I then went back to where Kotomi was standing and handed her a plastic bag with the book inside.  
She stared vacantly at the bag before taking it, "…Oh...! Tomoya-kun…"

"No matter how much you like books, you can't just cut them up if they're from the library or store. At least buy the book or copy what you want on a piece of paper." My eyes looked over at the bored, middle-aged, shopkeeper, "Of course, you'd probably get yelled at for doing that, too."

"…Really…? I never thought of that…"

_Was this girl seriously a genius?_ I exhaled loudly. "Is there anything else you want to look at?"

Her head looked around, slowly, before turning to me. "…No…Let's go…" With that said, we both exited the store and started walking along the sidewalk.

Following a few minutes of silence between us, Kotomi opened her mouth and said, "…Thank you, Tomoya-kun…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. The book wasn't that expensive, anyways." Although I had to pay for it with my dinner money.

"…No… Thank you for everything else, today… To be honest… I get scared when I meet new people… But Nagisa-chan was a very nice person…"

"If you're so scared of people, then why was I so easy to talk to?" I inquired.

"…Nagisa-chan is a really nice person… Her Big Dango Family drawings were really good too…"

Apparently, she didn't hear my question. Either that or her brain was really late at reacting so I should've been able to hear an answer sometime in the next five seconds. She then looks at me and asks, "…Tomoya-Kun… Is Nagisa-chan your girlfriend…?"

I choked on my own saliva, "Of course, not! What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?" I lready knew the answer from the looks of her anti-social personality.

"…Boys scare me the most so I don't want one…"

I sighed, "We'll just leave it at that…"

A moment of silence passed before we stopped at a corner and Kotomi pointed across the street, "…My house is that way… I think I'll be going home, now…"

"Oh, ok. I'll see you another time then!" We then waved to each other and left in different directions. Coincidently, Kotomi had pointed in the same direction as where my neighborhood was but she couldn't have been living in the Genji district, could she? No, I assumed she was from the same area as Tomoyo which meant there was a chance we may have commuted to school together without noticing for these past few years. So if I had any intentions of going home, I would have walked with her. Instead, my legs started moving in the direction of the Riverside Park.

When I got there, the sky had already begun to turn yellow from the setting sun while there was still an abundance of pedestrians and visitors nearby. Just like last time I visited, the Cherry Blossom trees had nearly shed their entire white coat of flowers only to be replaced by a layer of fresh, green, leaves. I took a seat on my usual bench and yawned. For some reason, my body was feeling awfully more tired and heavier than usual. Maybe it's because I was running around school all day or some of Kotomi's sleepiness rubbed off on me. Either ways, I was starting to doze off fast and my vision began blurred into a palette of swirling colors before growing darker and darker and darker... _I wonder what Tomoyo is doing._

And just like that, I was drifting in blackness. An endless blackness that seemed to stretch on forever as I laid immobile and-

"FREEZE!" Something long and slender pointed behind my back as reality rushed back into my mind like a tidal wave. I opened my eyes to see it was already nightfall and the people in the park were already gone. _Am I being robbed?! Damnit, this is what you get letting your guard down and for falling asleep on a bench._ I raised my arms up slowly and said, "I don't have any money on me, I swear. You can check my wallet if you want."

My captor began laughing with an unmistakably feminine and familiar voice before going around the bench to stand in front of me. She wasn't wearing her usual school uniform but was dressed in long khaki pants and a plain, black t-shirt that hugged her body quite nicely. The only piece of clothing that hadn't changed was that familiar, black, head band on top of her gray hair. "Okazaki, you have to admit I had you that time." Tomoyo said with a triumphant smile.

Seeing her made me feel as if a bombshell just hit, "S-sakagami! How'd you know where I was?"

"I stopped by your house today but your dad said you weren't home. So I figured this was the only place you'd be." She sat down next to me before her eyes wandered across my uniform, "Have you been here the entire time? It's nearly eight! Have you eaten anything, either?"

I shook my head, "I was sleeping for the past few hours. I guess I must've been really tired today. Haven't had a good nap like this in a long time."

"You looked real cute when you were asleep, though."

"Really?"

She giggled, "No. To be honest, you reminded me of someone who was homeless."

"Why, thank you..." I replied, sarcastically. "So what are you doing out pretty late? Were you hanging out with your friends?"

"Nope. My family made too much food so I thought I'd bring some over for you. Plus I wanted to apologize for not being able to go home with you, today. I had a group project in school that I wanted to finish as soon as possible." She reached over to the side and pulled out a plastic bag that had a rectangular container from within. Inside the container were a decent amount of fried rice and a few pieces of chicken that were dipped in Teriyaki sauce. Tomoyo then handed me the container and a pair of chopsticks, "Go on; eat it."

"Thanks, I might've starved tonight if it weren't for you. Just earlier I had to spend my dinner money on a book for a friend."

"So, it looks like I've saved you twice, today." She smirked.

"Sure, looks like it." I took a bite of her food and then began to quickly devour it. Even though the meal wasn't hot, the flavors and textures were at a heavenly level of balance that I have never tasted before in my life. After setting down the container on my lap, I exhaled satisfyingly, "Phew, that was good…"

"Did you really like it?" Tomoyo asked me with a face full of interest.

"It's the best thing I've eaten in a really long time." I told her sincerely.  
Her face beamed with extreme joy, "Really? Because that was something I cooked up, this evening."

I raised my eyebrows in amazement, "Seriously?" Here in front of me was a person who was strong, intelligent, and could actually cook like a pro. Was there anything she wasn't good at? "You're… one amazing girl, Sakagami."

She looked away and started to lightly blush, "Well, my mom's a chef cook so she gave me a few pointers."

"It's still great, nonetheless." I replied.

She smiled without a word. A peaceful stillness swiftly enveloped around us as I stared out into the water and listened to the crickets chirping, methodically. There wasn't a single part of me that wanted this moment to end.

Just then, Tomoyo raised her left arm to look at her watch. "Oh, wow. It's already that late? I have to get going before my parents scold me. You should go home, too."

I handed her the container and then looked back at the river, "You can't stay for a little while longer?"

"Sorry, but how about this? Tomorrow's the weekend, right? If you're not busy, maybe we should go do something."

I thought about that for a moment and nodded. "That'd be great."

"I'm glad." Tomoyo smiled, "You know I wouldn't mind if you invited a few friends as well for whatever we're doing… Ah! We'll think of something."

"Ok," I replied, "I'll just call them tomorrow and see if anyone's busy, or not."

"Alright," she stood up and then tugged my arm to pull me up, "let's go home, Tomoya."

I suddenly noticed something small, "Hey."

"What is it?"

"You just called me by my first name…" I pointed out.

"Oh. Did I? To be honest, I like it a lot more than Okazaki. Not that your last name is bad; it just feels easier to call you by your first name. Plus it's like my name so…"

"Then would you mind if I called you by your first name?" I asked.  
"Not at all." She smiled.

"Ok… Tomoyo. Let's go."


End file.
